Senior Software Engineer, Fellow Experience
Company: Handshake
Location: San Francisco
Posted on: February 19, 2026
|
|
|
Job Description:
Job Description Job Description About Handshake Handshake is the
career network for the AI economy. 20 million knowledge workers,
1,600 educational institutions, 1 million employers (including 100%
of the Fortune 50), and every foundational AI lab trust Handshake
to power career discovery, hiring, and upskilling, from freelance
AI training gigs to first internships to full-time careers and
beyond. This unique value is leading to unparalleled growth; in
2025, we tripled our ARR at scale. Why join Handshake now: Shape
how every career evolves in the AI economy, at global scale, with
impact your friends, family and peers can see and feel Work
hand-in-hand with world-class AI labs, Fortune 500 partners and the
world's top educational institutions Join a team with leadership
from Scale AI, Meta, xAI, Notion, Coinbase, and Palantir, among
others Build a massive, fast-growing business with billions in
revenue About the Role As a Senior Software Engineer on the Fellows
Allocations team, you will architect and scale the systems that
power the middle-of-funnel experience for fellows, from project
discovery through successful onboarding. You will own the technical
vision for our auto-allocations system, which automatically matches
fellows to projects based on profiles and project needs, directly
impacting fellow volume and quality at scale. This is a
high-visibility, customer-facing role with direct exposure to
executive leadership, where your work addresses real, urgent needs
with an extensive roadmap waiting to be built. The Fellows
Allocations team owns critical user journeys including the landing
page experience for project invitations and applications, project
onboarding flows (confidentiality agreements, video/camera checks,
educational programs, reading materials), project-specific
assessments and recordings, and the tools that support our growth
team's manual matching efforts. In this role, you will: Lead the
architecture and long-term technical vision for scaling our
automatic allocations system, designing solutions that match
fellows to projects with precision and efficiency. Drive
engineering excellence by establishing standards and best practices
that elevate the team's technical capabilities. Build and own the
full journey from fellow verification through successful onboarding
to the start of tasking. Develop high-quality, high-velocity code
while maintaining a strong balance between speed and product
reliability. Partner closely with product managers to deliver
seamless user experiences, bringing strong product sense to
technical decisions. Mentor and grow engineers on the team,
fostering a culture of ownership and technical excellence. Respond
to and resolve emergency situations tied to fellow onboarding
volume, quality, and project matching. Desired Capabilities 5 years
of software engineering experience with a backend-leaning
orientation and demonstrated tech lead capabilities. Strong
proficiency in TypeScript and experience with full-stack
development; our stack includes Next.js, TRPC, GraphQL, and
PostgreSQL. Experience building and scaling larger workflows and
asynchronous job orchestration (experience with Temporal or similar
systems is a plus). Proven ability to architect systems at scale,
ideally with experience at larger, more established companies
solving complex problems. Strong ownership mentality with high
availability and dedication to the team's success. Product engineer
mindset; you think beyond the code to understand user impact and
business outcomes. Excellent communication skills and ability to
partner effectively with product managers and cross-functional
teams. Opinionated about engineering best practices with the
confidence to question existing code structures and drive
improvements. Extra Credit Experience at companies solving similar
problems (AI/human data platforms, large-scale matching systems).
Background at high-growth or established tech companies with
exposure to larger-scale engineering challenges. Familiarity with
workflow orchestration tools like Temporal. Perks Handshake
delivers benefits that help you feel supported—and thrive at work
and in life. The below benefits are for full-time US employees.
Ownership: Equity in a fast-growing company Financial Wellness:
401(k) match, competitive compensation, financial coaching Family
Support: Paid parental leave, fertility benefits, parental coaching
Wellbeing: Medical, dental, and vision, mental health support,
wellness stipend Growth: Learning stipend, ongoing development
Remote & Office: Internet, commuting, and free lunch/gym in our SF
office Time Off: Flexible PTO, 15 holidays 2 flex days Connection:
Team outings & referral bonuses Explore our mission, values, and
comprehensive US benefits at joinhandshake.com/careers .
Compensation Range: $200K - $235K
Keywords: Handshake, San Rafael , Senior Software Engineer, Fellow Experience, Engineering , San Francisco, California
